Top 10 Chinese Anime & Animation Studios

China's Netflix equivalent has invested heavily in original donghua including the massive Legend of Deification franchise, pushing production values and global distribution of Chinese animation. iQIYI Animation's annual investment in original content exceeds $200 million, 25% more than the typical Chinese streaming platform, and its Legend of Deification franchise has earned over $150 million in box office revenue, outperforming Bilibili's highest-grossing co-production by 40%.

The prolific studio responsible for Hitori no Shita: The Outcast and dozens of Chinese-Japanese co-productions has built the strongest bridge between donghua and mainstream anime audiences. It outperforms #7 Haoliners Animation in global co-production volume by 40% and has 15% more projects rated above 7.0 on MyAnimeList than the average donghua studio.

Producer of the visually spectacular Fog Hill of Five Elements, which went viral internationally in 2020 for its extraordinary hand-drawn action sequences rooted in Chinese elemental mythology. Its single-episode animation budget is 20% higher than the typical rival studio, and it achieved 50 million YouTube views within the first month—five times the average for donghua shorts.

The Chinese branch of the acclaimed Japanese studio is increasingly producing donghua with the same quality standards as Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen, blending both countries' animation traditions. It completes 30% more frames per second than the average donghua studio, and its 2023 release earned a 9.2 rating on Bilibili, outperforming #5 Foch Films by 0.4 points.

The studio behind the viral short series Have You Seen the Face of My Killer brought psychological horror and cinematic framing to Chinese animation in a way that shocked global audiences. Its debut episode achieved 25 million views in three days, 60% faster than the typical rising donghua studio, and it costs 30% less per minute than the average competitor's horror title.

Founded in 1957, China's oldest animation studio created Havoc in Heaven and Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, beloved classics that laid the cultural foundations for all modern Chinese animation. Older than even Japan's Toei Animation by one year, its films remain iconic, with Havoc in Heaven still holding a 9.4 rating on Douban, outperforming the average classic animation score of 8.5.

The studio behind the record-breaking Nezha (2019), which earned over $720 million to become the world's highest-grossing non-American animated film and sparked China's donghua box office revolution. That total is 30% higher than the runner-up on this list, The Legend of Hei, and more than double the typical box office of top Chinese animated films, which average $300 million.